Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
1/23/2015
In a move that could lead to financial penalties, the Department of Energy’s Office of Enforcement is planning to investigate an incident at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that left seven workers exposed to radiation while working on a project for the Y-12 National Security Complex. In a Jan. 16 letter to ORNL Director Thom Mason, Steven Simonson, the director of the Office of Enforcement, said the investigation into the “facts and circumstances associated with the unexpected airborne contamination release” could include a site visit at a date to be determined and interviews with contractor personnel.
The incident occurred Aug. 25 at ORNL’s Building 3525 during size reduction of uranium metal alloy items. ORNL officials previously said the incident took place in an enclosure in Building 3525, and not in shielded hot cells in the building that can be used for remote work on radiological items. ORNL Deputy Director Jeff Smith said during the fall that the doses involved were “minor” and below the 500 millirem level required for reporting to the Department of Energy.
ORNL spokesman David Keim told NS&D Monitor this week that the lab’s review of the incident was complete and it was taking actions to prevent a recurrence, but he was unable to provide a copy of the review. He said the doses occurred “because we incorrectly assessed the potential for airborne contamination from material that workers were preparing for packaging and shipment.” He added: “While the doses were well below the level that requires us to report them to the Department of Energy, we reported it and conducted a thorough evaluation. We never want to have an unplanned radiological exposure. We just received this letter, so we’re reviewing it to be sure we respond appropriately.”
